Must ELIMINATE one city-which one?
 

I'm so sad. Our itinerary was just too busy for two weeks. We're traveling either by air or by train but no car rental. We must eleminate one city and I can't decide....I really wanted to see them all. Which would you eliminate: <BR>Lucerne, SW <BR>Bernese Oberland, SW <BR>Salzburg, Aus. <BR>Vienna, Aus. <BR>Prague, Cz.

For a second, I thought that Strom Thurmond had made it to the presidency, and was trying to decide how to start a war!! <BR>

Marcie, it's a tough choice, but so much depends on your priorities. Lucerne is a quaint and pretty small city while the Oberland is a beautiful region for enjoying nature. I've happily spent two weeks just in those places! Salzburg is also beautiful and has the Mozart and Sound of Music connections. Vienna of course is a treasure trove of culture. I'd look at relative locations; what's closest, easiest to get to, as travel time cuts such a huge chunk anyway. I haven't yet been to Prague, but it may be better for a future trip for you. (Personally, I'd skip Vienna, but that's just from my own not-so-great memories of it. Objectively, it is a great city.) Happy travels!

If it were me (and I have been to every one of those places...some mutiple times) and I had to skip one I would skip Salzburg.

I have only been to Vienna, Salzburg and Prague. DO NOT LEAVE OUT PRAGUE!! It is the most stunning city, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I would leave out Vienna. Enjoy it.

I would leave out Lucerne. It is a nice city with interesting side trips to make, but is not as spectacularly Swiss as the Bernese Oberland. Second choice to leave out would be Vienna

If it were me, I would leave off Vienna. <BR> <BR>

MARCIE,I knew you would come to that conclusion on your own--be glad you did. <BR>No question, drop Vienna. It is the far point geographically and will not add that much to the experiences you have already enjoyed. Have fun !

I wouldn't leave out Vienna -- loved it! <BR>Prague would be my choice to omit. I feel that Vienna is a prettier city -- Schonbrunn is gorgeous, as is the palace. Nice to walk around in too. Prague is good to walk around in also, and the shopping is better (if you're looking for crystal and garnets), however I found it to be lacking in the "royal" feel (however it "feels" older than Vienna). In Vienna you know you're in a royal city, in Prague you know you're in a really old city. <BR> <BR>Aren't you glad you asked? Now your head is spinning! <BR> <BR>Good luck making the choice!

I've been to all of the cities, I would eliminate in this order: Lucerne, Salzburg or Vienna. Have a great trip!

I have been to all but Salzburg (although I did pass by and see it from the train if that counts). I would probably drop Lucerne. I have a feeling you would prefer Salzburg over Lucerne, although the latter is great. The Berner Oberland is so beautiful and will add a nice bit of nature to your journey (a nice break from the cities). Vienna is wonderful and has so much to see, and I absolutely adore Prague. To me, the one to not even think about dropping is the Berner Oberland because it is different from the rest. Then make a choice between Vienna and Prague or Salzburg and Lucerne.

Drop off Salzburg. I was there and thought it was not that big or interesting. I think you will get all the Austrian culture you need in Vienna.

I would eliminate either Lucerne or Salzburg, because they are both smaller cities. The other Swiss site is beautiful and natural. Vienna and Prague are from the same empire, so are similar; however, because one was east and the other west, also very different. I think you would enjoy the contrast. The Charles Bridge at night in Prague is so romantic. Vienna has so much culture and charm. Check nethotels.com for events in Salzburg, Vienna and Prague during your time and see if that helps in making a decision. I enjoyed Lucerne and Salzburg, so you wouldn't go wrong whatever you choose.

Drop Salzburg. By far the least important/interesting of the cities. <BR> <BR>On the other hand if travel time is an issue in your itinerary, Vienna may be an option. <BR> <BR>twenj

Of Course it is personal preference but for me, I would skip Vienna.. I got food poisoning there.. Salzburg was simply magical to us!

I haven't been to those Swiss cities so can't see among them; I suspect I'd be in agreement with dropping Lucerne, then either Salzburg or Vienna. I did not care for Vienna that much and thought parts of it were extremely ugly (the main pedestrian street, Karntnerstrasse?) and the art museum was not so great in comparison to other cities. I am a serious amateur classical pianist and so went to Salzburg for the Mozart connection (seeing his house, the palace where he played), but if that is not meaningful to you, I don't find it that special. It was very touristy with little shops selling more tourist crap than anywhere I'd seen (some horrible combination of Mickey Mouse and Mozart as I recall), and the main square (Mozartplatz? near the church) had the charm of a Walmart parking lot. It does have a good setting and a few interesting things to see, but without the Mozart interest, I wouldn't go out of my way. Absolutely do not drop Prague, it is my favorite on that list. Even though I didn't like Vienna that well (and not a lot was going on when I was there, but that was July), I think it is a unique city, I've not seen that type of architecture anywhere else (those massive wedding cake buildings), so think it should be seen rather than Salzburg.

Drop Lucerne first, then Vienna. <BR> <BR>Salzburg is great, especially if you cruise over from there to Berchtesgaden, Germany. <BR> <BR>

Hi, Marcie -- I can relate to your dilemma, but cast my vote for Vienna or Prague. They are at the furthest ends of your itinerary, and travel time alone makes them more sensible sacrifices. <BR> <BR>We had to forego Prague on a similar trip 2 years ago for the sheer timing involved. Now I can't wait to be able to see it on a separate adventure that would include Budapest -- which means we could also go back to Vienna and points in between! Have a great vacation, <BR> <BR>Stephanie

Thank you so much for all your help guys. Before I decide which city to drop I'm going to pursue adding 2 extra days to our trip and perhaps hitting them all with less time in each. Thank you all so much....great information!